Metamorphosis
by Joe Coool
Summary: After working to rebuild Konoha following Pein's attack, the Konoha 11 is given a short respite. Choji, who has been training to attempt his family's potentially-dangerous jutsu, is plagued with thoughts of self-doubt. With the upcoming Festival of Roses approaching fast, will Choji be able to change his self-image and gather the courage to ask out the girl he loves?
1. Chapter 1

"Yo, Shikamaru, let's go! We don't got all day!"

"Meh... I'm coming, chill out…"

"Man, we haven't hung out in forever."

"Idiot, we haven't had free time in forever. Especially now that you have a _girlfriend_."

"Hey, hey, hey! Don't say that just because you're jealous."

"What! That's it, I'm gonna-"

"Kiba, Naruto, will you two shut up? You're giving me a headache…"

"Finally… Took you long enough to get ready. Ok, let's go."

"Naruto, you sure you know where to go?"

"I think I know where to go, Kiba. I've only been living out there since-"

"Will you all shut up? I want to be able to relax without listening to your petty squabbling."

"Neji is right. We should all take it easy so that we may recover our youthful spi- energy…"

"Way to catch yourself, Lee." With that, the group headed off.

* * *

"Ahh, this is going to feel so good!" Chouji said to himself as they walked out of the make-shift gates of Konoha and into the forest. He and the rest of the ninjas had been given a couple of afternoons off, courtesy of the Hokage, so they decided to make the most of it. Today being their first break, the guys decided to head out to the lake near Naruto's old camp and relax in the cool water.

"Yea, it'll be nice to cool off," he heard Kiba reply.

"All this work has been troublesome, but I guess someone had to do it," Shikamaru added.

"Well, here we are!" The group walked out into a clearing and small waterfall cascading into a clear lake. "We should put our stuff by the rocks over there," Naruto said, pointing towards some smooth stones by the side of the lake. "The water in that corner is fed by hot springs, if any of you feel like relaxing in something warmer."

"Wow," Lee let out. "This looks great!"

"Come on, let's get in the water already!" Shikamaru said, removing his shirt as he walked over to rocks. The rest of the group followed his example, removing their clothes, folding them into piles, and getting into the water.

Chouji was a little hesitant in removing his clothes. He never really liked being shirtless in front of other guys, let alone being completely naked.

"Chouji," he heard Shikamaru call out. "Come on, the water feels good."

"Yea, and don't worry about how you look," Kiba added. "We're all friends here, who cares about being big-boned?"

Chouji smiled, and began to remove his outfit. "You guys are right." With that, he ran out and jumped out over the lake, tucking his legs in to his chest and shouting out "Cannonball!"

"Shit shit shit!" Naruto yelled, swimming away from where Chouji would land.

Chouji hit the water, and a large wave formed on all sides, washing over the heads of the other guys. He looked around and laughed. "Hehe, sorry guys…"

* * *

Time passed by slowly. The cool water soaked into the bodies of the young ninja, soothing their muscles. Soon, though, they all began feeling a bit cold, so they moved over to the heated corner, letting the heat course through them. Because they were all together, they began conversing about what they had done since Pain's attack. Most of the guys just did as the Hokage ordered them to do; constructing new buildings, helping bring in water, distributing rations to civilians, and taking watch were some of the more common tasks. Kiba and Akamaru were often asked to hunt for fresh meat, while Chouji was often requested to help harvest the trees surrounding Konoha. Shikamaru worked with the Hokage a lot, assisting her in making decisions regarding the village's well-being. Neji and Naruto were the only two that had consistent jobs; Naruto using his clones, and Neji directing them. "Sounds like you guys have been hard at work too," Naruto said after hearing everyone's stories.

"Yes, but our hard work has also paid off," Lee commented. Everyone agreed; they had been working hard, but it was not without its results. With constant labor and limited food available, they had all lost a good amount of weight, become leaner and more defined.

"Yea, I know what you mean. Damn, what I wouldn't do for a full meal…"

"I don't know. You still look pretty well fed, Chouji."

"Well, I've been trying to gain some of my weight back."

The guys looked at him with confused faces. "Why would you be trying to gain weight?"

Chouji was about to speak when he was interrupted by Shikamaru, who asked, "Ahh, for your training, right?"

Lee's eyes lit up at the word 'training'. "You have been training! Please, tell us what you have been doing!"

"Well, it's not really training. It's more preparation than anything else."

"Preparation for what?" Naruto asked, tilting his head to the side.

"Well, it's an Akimichi legend of an ultimate technique that has the power to change a person forever," Chouji said. "Only the founder of the Akimichi family has even been able to use it."

"I had heard about it before," Neji added. "It was indeed a very strong technique, but also very dangerous if the user tries it, but does not complete it."

"That's right. Every member of the Akimichi family dreams of being the one to perfect it, but very few try. My father tried it when he was younger, but he…" Chouji paused looking down at the reflection of the sky in the water. "He couldn't do it…

"Then how are you supposed to be able to do it if you can't practice it?" Naruto asked.

"This technique is only to be attempted by the most powerful members of the Akimichi family. We are only allowed to try it under one condition: there must be no doubt in our minds that we can do it."

"So," Lee began, "if you are even a tiny bit unsure, you're not allowed to try it?"

"Well… Yes and no. When my ancestor first perfected his technique, he had no idea he was going to do it. You see, he invented this technique while… he was trying to kill himself."

"No way…"

"So the other condition is… if you have nothing left to live for…"

"Chouji, we're behind you 100% of the way!" Naruto said.

"Yea, we know you can do it!"

"You have the power of youth… I mean, lots of power."

"You've got nothing to worry about," Shikamaru added, patting him on the shoulder.

"Thanks, guys," Chouji said, giving off a large smile. "It's getting dark, though. I think we should start heading back."

"Yea, I want to be able to get a good sleep over these next few days," Kiba said as he and the rest of the guys got out of the water and were drying themselves off. Once they were clothed, they began their walk back to Konoha.

* * *

"See you guys later," Chouji called out as he watched the other guys begin to walk back to their camps. He and Shikamaru turned and began heading towards their own tents.

"So Chouji," Shikamaru asked. "You planning on going to the Festival of Roses?"

"I don't know. I'll probably go, but I won't be with anyone, just a group of friends."

"Oh, come on. You don't have anyone you want to ask to go with you?"

"Well… I do, but… I'm pretty sure she wouldn't accept."

"I wouldn't say that. Ino's changed a bit."

"Wha-? How did you-?"

"Relax," Shikamaru said, putting his hand on his friend's broad shoulder. "I'm just trying to help you out; this conversation is between you and me."

This seemed to loosen Chouji up a bit. "I still don't know how to ask her."

"Hey, don't look at me for romantic inspiration. You'll think of something. Just be yourself."

"Thanks, Shikamaru. I'll think about it."

"No problem," Shikamaru said as he turned to his campsite. "See you tomorrow."

"See ya." With that, Chouji continued on his way to his family's camp.

* * *

"Hey, you done for today?"

"Yea, I just finished. How about you?"

"Yup, I just finished with the last one for the day. You wanna get some lunch?"

"Sure, let's get all the girls together. We haven't had any 'girl time' in a while."

"Sounds great! I'll get Hinata, you find Tenten. Where do you want to eat?

"Hmm… How about by the old training grounds?"

"That sounds good. We can eat by the lake Yamato made when he was training Naruto. Ok, I'll see ya later."

"Bye Sakura." With that, the blond girl and the pink-haired girl went their separate ways. After finding the other girls, they all headed to the training grounds, where they set up a blanket and ate a simple meal next to the lake. Although the area had been pretty badly damaged during Pain's attack, there were small shrubs and grasses growing on the ground, forming patches of green amidst the dirt.

"Wow, I haven't seen you all in forever," Tenten was saying as she pulled her lunch out of a bag and set it on the cloth beneath her.

"Yea, it was really nice of Tsunade-sama to give us these days off, even if they are only afternoons," Sakura said.

"We've all been working hard; I say it's about time!" The other girls nodded, agreeing with Ino.

"Hey Hinata, how's your work with Naruto going?"

"Oh. I-it's going f-fine," She muttered. She was still a bit jealous that Naruto was going out with Sakura. "I-It's a lot of work… B-but we get a lot done."

"I'm sick of seeing Naruto everywhere. It was bad enough with just one!" The girls looked at Ino and, seeing from her smile that she was joking, giggled with her.

"Yea, he's really helping out. Everyone is."

"It's nice to see everybody working together."

"Yea, but I wish I had more time to see Naruto."

"Just be happy you have a boyfriend, forehead-girl."

"Well, the Festival of Roses is coming up soon. Any of you have someone in mind?"

"Well," Tenten started. "Sorta. I'm not sure if he'd like me back, though."

"Yea, Neji can be like that sometimes."

"What? W-who said anything about Neji?"

"Oh come on, Tenten. We've seen they way you act around him."

Tenten let out a sigh. "You're right. I just don't know if he'll ever like me."

"Tenten, you never know," Hinata's voice came in. "He may be a bit hard and emotionless at times, but he's really thoughtful and considerate once you get past that outer shell."

"See? You have nothing to worry about."

"I guess you're right," Tenten said, smiling. "Thanks."

"No problem," Sakura replied. "You'll get him for sure, you just watch."

Tenten smiled for a bit longer before turning her eyes to Ino. "So how about you? I'm sure someone like you has guys all over her."

"Humph…" Ino crossed her arms and frowned. "They won't leave me the hell alone. Yea, all the guys want me, but I can tell they only want my body."

"Ouch, that sucks," Sakura said, sympathizing with her friend. "Do _you_ have any interest in anybody?"

"Eh, not yet. I'm not giving up hope, though. Asuma-sensei told me to not lose to you, and I don't plan on doing so now."

"I'm sure you'll find someone," Tenten replied.

"Yes, it's just a matter of time."

"Someone's going to recognize you for you, and not just a body."

Ino nodded and gave them a "thanks", before turning back to her food. The other three did the same, and they changed the subject to other things, such as what they had been doing recently and who the best looking guy in Konoha was. After a while, they had finished their meal, packed up, and said their goodbyes before going their separate ways. Sakura and Ino walked back to their campsites, where they would relax themselves before another half-day of work tomorrow.

* * *

"So, you don't have anyone you want to ask to the festival?" Sakura asked.

Ino looked up to the sky. "I don't know. I mean, I guess I've always thought that some guy would come to me."

"Well, sometimes, you have to go out and get what you want yourself."

"Ok, so who'd you have in mind?" Ino asked, stopping on the side of the path.

"Hmm… Let's see… Naruto's taken… Neji is going to be taken soon. Oh! How about Shikamaru?"

"Eh, he's nice and all, but I think his eyes are set on that Suna girl, what's-her-name…"

"Temari?"

"Yea, that one. Besides, I don't know if I could live with someone that lazy."

"He's gotten better about it. I'd say don't count him out yet."

"Fair enough. Anyone else?"

"Hmm… Oh god, not Lee… or Shino… that'd just be weird," Sakura said, laughing. "Well, how about Kiba?"

"You're joking, right?"

"You don't like Kiba?"

"Don't get me wrong, I don't hate him or anything. I never really talk to him, though. And he's got that weird-ass face paint or whatever."

"I kinda thought it made him look better."

"Next person, please."

"Are you judging him because of how he looks?"

"I said, next person. Don't tell me you're out of ideas already."

"Well, I was going to say Chouji, but…"

"Chouji! You've got to be kidding me!"

"On the contrary, Ino, I was being completely serious. He's probably one of the nicest, sweetest guys around."

"Yea, but look at him! He's a fat-ass!"

"Don't put him off because of how he looks."

"Says the girl dating Naruto. Now _there's_ a fine hunk of man."

"Err…" was all Sakura managed to get out after hearing the awkward comment about her boyfriend. Going back to the matter at hand, she continued, "Well, that was a bonus. I'm going out with Naruto because he is the most thoughtful and considerate guy I know."

"Sakura, I know Chouji's a nice guy; you forget, I'm on his team. But I don't want to go out with someone that would think about food more than he would think about me."

* * *

"Is that truly what you believe?" Ino looked surprised. Those words did not come from Sakura. The voice was coming from beside her. As the girls were talking, they neglected to notice that two men had stopped next to them and were listening in. 'I recognize that voice,' Ino thought. She slowly turned to see the face of Shikamaru. Next to him was the subject of the last part of their conversation. "Ch-Chouji…" Ino managed to get out. "How long have you been…?"

The broad shouldered ninja looked at her with an expressionless face. "I came over when you called out my name earlier."

Ino felt horrible. Not only was she talking poorly about Chouji, but he heard her do so. "Chouji… I'm so sor-"

"Don't worry about it, Ino," he said. "If that's what you think of me, I have no right to disapprove." Turning to the other girl, he bowed slightly. "Thank you, Sakura, for arguing in my defense." With that, he turned and walked away.

"Hey, Chouji," Shikamaru called out to him. "Where're you going?"

Chouji turned around to look at his best friend, a veil of seriousness sprawled across his face. "I'm going to do it. Tonight."

"Chouji! Are you sure you can?"

The wind started blowing, making the Chouji's long hair ruffle. He stood there for a minute, before uttering one final statement.

"I don't know…"

With that, he turned around and walked away. Ino was devastated. 'What have I done?' she asked herself.

* * *

"Ino," she heard Shikamaru's voice call out to her. This puller her out of her trance, and she looked up at him. "I know you probably feel bad for him right now," he continued, a somber look upon his face. "But if you don't do something quickly…"

"If I don't do something, then what?" Ino asked desperately.

"Ino, do you know what it is he said he was going to do tonight?"

"Wha- N-no…"

Shikamaru let out a sigh, and looked Ino straight in the eyes, his gaze mixing elements of concern for his friend and anger towards her. "He's going to attempt what he's been training for his whole life."

"Shikamaru, what are you tal-" That's when it hit her. He was going to do _it_. The Akimichi ultimate technique.

"Ino, Shikamaru…" Sakura asked, outside of the loop. "What is he going to do?"

"He's going to attempt his family's most powerful technique," Shikamaru told her. "One that will either change him forever… or potentially kill him…"

"What kind of technique is it?"

"Sakura, do you know how the Akimichi family's justus work?"

"A little bit. Don't they convert their chakra into body mass?"

"Yes, they do. However," Shikamaru added, catching Ino's attention. "This conversion can also work the other way around. The Akimichi family can change chakra into muscle mass, but can also turn their own bodies into chakra."

Ino opened her eyes in shock. "Wait, so that's why he was always eating?"

Shikamaru turned to his teammate. "When he said he was eating so he could use his jutsu, he wasn't lying. He can use ninja moves without converting body mass into chakra, but this skill is incredibly powerful if mastered."

"I-I never knew… So, this ultimate technique… What does it…?"

"Basically, it tests their chakra transfer skills to the maximum. They must use all of their chakra and convert large amounts of their body to chakra as well. The dangerous part is that often times, the amount of chakra required is so great that those who try it run the risk of converting their entire bodies into chakra, leaving them exceptionally frail if they fail to complete the move."

"So… so when is he… going to try it?"

"I would guess sometime tonight. And he'll be," he said, gesturing towards the Hokage mountains, "up there."

"So… if he can't do it, then he'll…" Ino looked down at the ground, tears forming in her eyes.

"That's why you need to talk to him. Tonight."

Ino said nothing. Her conscious was heavy with guilt. 'God, I'm such an idiot…' She thought to herself. 'I can't believe I said those things out loud.' Turning her attention back to Shikamaru, she said, "Ok. I'll talk to him. E-excuse me…" With that, she ran back to her tent.

"Poor Ino…" Sakura found herself saying. "She must feel horrible right now."

"Yea, but you forget she's the one that got herself into this," Shikamaru replied. Placing his hand on her shoulder, he added, "Also, thanks for sticking up for him. I don't know how he would have reacted if you hadn't."

"Chouji really is a great guy. It's unfortunate that Ino doesn't see past his looks."

Shikamaru smiled before walking away. "I think she'll come around," he said over his shoulder.

"I hope so… I hope so…"


	2. Chapter 2

It was getting late. The clouds were turning orange as the sun began to set, leaving the village in twilight. 'I'd better start heading up to the mountain,' Ino thought to herself. She sighed. 'Why'd I have to go and say all that?' she wondered. 'I didn't really mean any of it…' Ino had been thinking about the incident since she arrived back at her tent. 'Maybe Sakura was right… I need to stop judging people based on how they look…' She gathered her belongings and began to head towards the mountain. She looked up at the Hokage's faces, and saw what looked like the silhouette of a person standing atop the Fourth's head. The person had long, mid-back length hair that was blowing in the wind and broad shoulders. 'Chouji! I need to hurry!' As she was running to the base of the mountain, she mentally added, 'I just hope it's not too late…'

* * *

The sun had left the village of Konoha, only leaving a faint orange glow to the west. In its place were pale clouds, illuminated by the moon's light. The wind blew to the east, making Chouji's hair move with it, flowing in the breeze. Below him, he could make out several large campfires, dotting the landscape below him. 'Not as nice as the old lights of Konoha, but better than nothing,' he thought to himself before closing his eyes and concentrating on his task before him. As he stood, he prepared himself mentally and physically for what he was about to do.

"Chouji?" He recognized Ino's voice coming from behind him. He merely maintained his concentration and stood in silence. "Chouji?" she asked again.

"…"

"Chouji, I know you're probably mad at me, but I want to apolo-"

"You have nothing to apologize for, Ino," Chouji interrupted, opening his eyes, but not turning around. "If that's how you feel about me, then I have no right to hold that against you."

Ino was shocked at his last statement. "Chouji… I… I didn't mean what I said back there… I-I don't know why I said that."

"Ino, please don't say things that aren't true to make me feel better."

"Chouji! I'm not lying!"

"Really? Then why'd you say it?" he asked, his voice calm and, to Ino's surprise, not aggravated.

"I-I don't know…"

"You don't? Well, I do," he said, keeping his voice soft. "You don't want to be affiliated with anyone like me, is that right?"

"That-That's not it…"

"On the contrary, Ino, I think that's exactly what it is," Chouji said quietly, turning around. Ino could see in his eyes that he was completely serious.

"Chouji, please…" Ino said, tears forming and beginning to run down her face. "Please… I didn't mean it… I was just-"

"Ino," Chouji said, turning back around and walking towards the edge of the cliff. Chouji stood only about half a meter away from the edge, and could see all the way down the face to the moon-lit ground below. "Please, don't be sad. I can't stand to see you like this."

"Chouji, I'm so sorry…"

"I already told you, don't worry about it. You were just expressing your feelings."

Ino looked at her teammate. The one that had always cared for her, always been there for her, always helped her up when she was down. Now, it seems, he was the one that needed to be helped up. "Chouji," Ino said as she began taking steps him. "Those things I said… Those were not my true feelings."

"Then what are your true feelings?" Ino stood in silence, trying to take her jumbled thoughts and form sentences. "Ino?" he asked once more.

"I wish I had noticed it earlier. All my life, I had been so stupid. I was always going after the good looking ones. I had never taken the time to see who they really were. I wish I had realized that what really matters is the person on the inside." Chouji stood stationary by the side of the cliff, looking down at the field below. "Chouji… You are one of the kindest and most friendly people I know… You always sacrifice yourself for the good of others, rarely thinking of yourself. Any woman would be lucky to have a man like that."

Chouji turned around and looked Ino in the eyes. "Ino, I know where you're heading with this… But, I'm not sure it was meant to be…"

"You need to at least give it a chance."

Chouji closed his eyes and thought deeply for a minute. "Do you want me to give it a try?"

"Chouji, I'm sure. Please…"

"Hmm," he mumbled still in deep thought. "I will give it a chance." He opened his eyes again and said, "I place my future in the hands of fate and the winds of fortune." With that, he smiled one last time at Ino and leaned backwards. Before Ino could do anything, his body tipped over the side of the mountain and began its decent to the ground below.

* * *

The wind blew faster and faster as his body began gaining speed. 'Ok, Chouji. This is it. It's now or never,' he thought to himself, concentrating on what he had to do. His eyes stung from the air flying past his face, so he closed them. Slowly, he began to perform the technique. The absorbed all of the chakra in his body and concentrated it in his torso. He could feel as the power left his extremities; his arms grew weaker, his legs felt feeble. 'Ok, that's all of my chakra,' he thought. 'Now for the hard part…' Just as he had done so many times before in preparation for this moment, he began to convert his body mass into chakra, extracting it and carrying it to his upper body. He could feel his skin grow tighter as his fat began to burn away. He could feel the immense power forming in his shoulders as his arms and legs began becoming more defined as the layers above his muscle began disappearing. A pressure in his chest arose from the immense thinning of his body. 'Dammit, that's almost all of my fat stores… 'I guess I'm going to have to go all out.' With that, he began deteriorating his muscles, converting this into chakra and transporting it to where the rest of it was being stored. His body screamed in pain as his tissues began dissolving, his body mass evaporating. As much as he tried to suppress them, shouts of agony escaped from his throat. 'I don't have enough… I- I'm going to…'

"Chouji!" Ino screamed as she watched her friend; no, her love; tumble over the side of the Fourth's face. She ran to where he had jumped from and looked down, barely able to see Chouji's figure plummet to the ground below. He did a few flips before forming his body into a streamline shape. His hair flew behind him, and he slowly began to spin as he fell. She squinted and could see a faint blue glow emitting from underneath his shirt. His body began to shrink as he grew farther and farther away. 'No!' she noticed. 'It's not because of him falling. It's because he's…' She couldn't believe it; he was dissolving his body. Although it was windy, she could hear him cry out in pain, but he continued his technique. 'He could kill himself!' She thought… 'There's only one thing I can do…'

His body convulsed with violent tremors as he fought to maintain his concentration. 'I don't know if I can do it…' he thought. 'Dammit! I've been training so hard.' Nevertheless, he continued to transform his body into chakra, forming it along his spine and throughout his core. Suddenly, a major jolt of pain ran through his body, causing him to cry out in pain once more. 'This is it… I'm going to-'

"Chouji!" he heard Ino call out to him. "Chouji, you can do it! You have to do it!"

'Ino,' he thought, unable to speak his mind audibly. 'Believe me, I'm at my limit. I just hope you can forgive me…'

"Don't leave me alone! I need you! I don't know what I'd do without you!"

'Ino... Was she being serious earlier?'

"Chouji!"

'Ino! I _will_ do this!' Strength began to course through his weak body. 'I _will_ pull through, and I _will_ survive!' He concentrated harder than ever before. 'I have to do this! For you! Ino, this is for you!' With that, he extracted every minuscule bit of strength within him and carried it to his back. 'That's it! I've done it!' He concentrated the enormous quantity of chakra along the edges of his shoulder blades and then…

* * *

Although Ino's vision was blurred by her tears, she could see something happening to Chouji. She quickly wiped her eyes and looked at him in amazement. The blue glow from underneath his shirt was brighter than before. She could make out two dense blue lines forming on his back, piercing through the armor plates. Suddenly, there was a large blue explosion of what she assumed to be chakra. The intensity of the blast pushed her back, and she fell down onto the ground. 'Was that it? Did he do it?' When the dust cleared, she stood back up and ran to the edge. Looking down, she could only see the field below, illuminated by the moonlight. "Wha-?" she asked aloud, dumbfounded. "Where'd he go?" Looking more closely, she made out shredded fragments of Chouji's armor lying strewn across the field. "No! Chouji!" she cried out, falling to her knees, tears forming in her eyes yet again. 'Dammit! This is all my fault…' Then, out of nowhere, a large gust of wind rushed past her. 'That couldn't have been the wind…' She looked up and turned around. Her eyes widened at the sight.

It was Chouji.

He was flying.

On wings of chakra.

She stared at him, amazed. The one that she had always called fat, the one whose habits she used to find disgusting, the one who just threw himself off of a cliff, was flying. Two wings of blue and purple swirls protruded from his back and formed the shape of…

'A butterfly?' Ino could not believe it. 'Chouji made butterfly wings out of chakra?' Her eyes darted and her head followed his movements as he soared through the sky. 'He's so… graceful,' she thought as he glided through the air, spinning and diving playfully in the moonlight. 'Is this the same Chouji as before?' Her question was answered when he floated back to where she was standing, landing gracefully in front of her. He was even more stunning up close; his face was no longer round, and his body was _extremely_ well defined. He was missing his shirt and upper body armor, due to the fact that it was shorn off after forming the wings, so his torso was exposed to the night air, showing off his muscles in the pale light. His hair flew freely in the wind, and his wings were producing a soft blue glow.

"I guess I will be giving it a try after all," he said, smiling.

Ino was speechless. She moved slowly towards him, still in shock. Finally, her arms wrapped themselves around his body as she held him close. Chouji was slightly surprised, but hugged her back. Pulling away, they looked into each other's eyes.

"Ino?" he asked, breaking the silence. "I need to ask you something."

"What is it?"

"W-would you still want to be with me if I went back to how I was before?"

"What do you mean?"

"What I mean is," he started, stepping back, "I can't stay like this forever." Ino watched as his wings began to disappear, and slowly, his body filled back up, until he looked just like his old, large self. "I know you liked how I looked before, but I can't hold it for long. I know that you like good looking guys, so-" He was interrupted by Ino's embrace.

"Chouji, when I said I wanted to be with you, I was referring to the you on the inside. The man I love has nothing to do with what he looks like. Thanks to me being a baka, and with some help from my friends, I realize that now." With that, she brought her face up to his, but found that she couldn't reach. He smiled, and lowered his lips to hers, brushing against them lightly before making full contact. She could feel herself getting pulled closer to him, and she snuggled into the embrace. Finishing the kiss and looking into his eyes once again, she gasped. Chouji had gone back to his fit form.

"Ok, so I kinda lied…"

Ino looked at him. "I thought you said-"

Chouji shushed her with a finger to her lips. "I said that to see if you wanted to be with me for who I was on the inside. Truth is, now that I've completed this technique, I can change my chakra into body mass, and vice versa, with no repercussions. In addition, any food I eat that I do not need to survive is turned directly into chakra."

Ino couldn't believe it. "Th-that's amazing! So… you can look however you want?"

"Pretty much, but I assume you want me to look like this," Chouji replied.

Ino responded by pulling him back in for another kiss. "Don't ever change…"

Chouji chuckled. "You really like how I look, huh?"

Ino merely hugged him tighter. "I wasn't talking about how you look…"

Chouji smiled understandingly, and held her closer, shielding her from the cold with his warmth and enjoying the company of the woman who loved him for who he really was.


End file.
